BILL NUMBER: AB 750	CHAPTERED  09/27/00

	CHAPTER   777
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   SEPTEMBER 27, 2000
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR   SEPTEMBER 27, 2000
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY   AUGUST 29, 2000
	PASSED THE SENATE   AUGUST 28, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   AUGUST 8, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   AUGUST 17, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   JUNE 2, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   MAY 28, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   APRIL 5, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Dutra
   (Coauthors:  Assembly Members Aanestad, Cunneen, and Kuehl)
   (Coauthors:  Senators Burton and Figueroa)

                        FEBRUARY 24, 1999

   An act to add and repeal Chapter 2 (commencing with Section
104335) of Part 2 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to spinal cord injury, and declaring the urgency thereof, to
take effect immediately.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 750, Dutra.  Spinal cord injury.
   Existing law establishes various health research grant programs.
   This bill would establish the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund for
the award of grants to conduct basic neurological research into the
cure for spinal cord injuries and their effects.  This bill would
continuously appropriate the fund to the University of California to
administer the grants.  This program would be operative until January
1, 2006.   This bill would be implemented only to the extent that
funds are appropriated for its purposes.
   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) (1) There are approximately 35,000 spinal cord injured persons
residing in this state.  Spinal cord injury is a condition that
leaves individuals paralyzed and afflicts 250,000 Americans.
   (2) The care of the 17,000 chronic spinal cord injured
quadriplegics alone costs the State of California three hundred forty
million dollars ($340,000,000) annually.
   (3) Spinal cord injury has serious physical, emotional, financial,
and social consequences for its victims and their families.
   (4) There is no established treatment that can cure spinal cord
injury.
   (5) If cures are found for spinal cord injuries the incidence of
quadriplegia will be greatly reduced.
   (6) Cures for spinal cord injuries are on the threshold of being
discovered.
   (b) (1) Research is the primary hope for victims and their
families.
   (2) Research in spinal cord injury has produced experimental
results that are of potential value in facilitating or effecting a
restoration of function in damaged spinal cords.
   (c) Despite the need to make progress toward treatments or cures
for spinal cord injury, there is a lack of sufficient resources in
California's postsecondary educational institutions to sustain recent
scientific progress with respect to this condition.  It is the
intent of the Legislature to encourage and support research that has
as one of its goals the discovery of methods to restore spinal cord
function in humans with spinal cord injury.
   (d) (1) The care and rehabilitation of acute, or newly injured,
spinal cord injury victims cost the State of California sixty million
dollars ($60,000,000) annually.
   (2) Experimental treatments or techniques are currently under
investigation, and these treatments may be of potential value in
facilitating or effecting a restoration of function in damaged spinal
cords if applied to humans within the first few hours after injury.

   (3) Progress has been made in chronic spinal cord injury research
including the discovery of molecules that promote the growth of
chronically injured spinal cord cells involved in movement and
sensation.  Genes that control regeneration of chronically damaged
spinal nerves and chemicals for activating those genes have been
discovered.  Substances that inhibit growth in the spinal cord have
been discovered and antibodies to those inhibitors have been
developed.  These discoveries may pave the way for significant
regeneration of the spinal cord.
  SEC. 2.  Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 104335) is added to
Part 2 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

      CHAPTER 2.  ROMAN REED SPINAL CORD INJURY RESEARCH ACT OF 1999

   104335.  This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Roman
Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999.
   104336.  (a) There is hereby established a Spinal Cord Injury
Research Fund.  Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code,
the fund is continuously appropriated to the University of
California for the purposes of this chapter.
   (b) The fund shall consist of money accepted by the University of
California from grants and donations from private entities as well as
public moneys transferred to the fund.
   (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, money remaining in
the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General
Fund.
   104337.  The fund established pursuant to Section 104336 may be
expended by the University of California for the award of grants to
perform spinal cord injury research projects.
   104338.  (a) There is hereby created within the University of
California the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program.
   (b) The program shall promote spinal cord injury research in
California as described in Section 104337.
   (c) The University of California may establish scientific
guidelines and rules and regulations as necessary for implementation
of this chapter.
   104339.  This chapter shall not apply to the University of
California unless the Regents of the University of California, by
appropriate resolution, make these provisions applicable.
   104339.5.  This chapter shall be implemented only to the extent
that funding for its purposes is appropriated to the Regents of the
University of California in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

   104339.6.  This chapter shall remain in effect only until January
1, 2006, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2006, deletes or extends
that date.
  SEC. 3.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect.  The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order to implement the programs for spinal cord injury
research, and thus to reduce pain and suffering and address a
pressing health need at the earliest possible time, it is necessary
that this act take effect immediately.
